The final project for my Digital Art course was titled Organic Machines; Through a piece of time-based media, created using software and fabrication technologies, students would represent a system or process inherent to the social or natural world around us.
From the start, my aim was to portray the four seasons as they occur in New England, looping infinitely year after year. By physically modeling a piece of landscape and using projections to cast distinct colors and moving elements onto it, I could imitate the changing environment in a digital yet three-dimensionally present manner.
The nine milled Styrofoam tiles combined, 3'x3'
After modeling a leveled topographic landscape with a winding central river in Rhino 3D, I employed a CNC Mill to sculpt tiles of Styrofoam that would make up my projection surface.
Using Photoshop's brushes and animation tools, I rendered the projected component of the project. Staying away from photo-real images, I chose a basic, textured style that let the colored brush strokes stand out, keeping each season's appearance distinct.
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Once in the exhibition space, the projector was hung directly overhead, casting the image down onto the surface. The video loop played continuously, as the seasons slowly passed in an infinite process. This project allowed me to experiment with projections and improve my drawing and modeling skills with familiar software, and resulted in a product that was enjoyed by my professors and fellow students.
